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On Thursday, in a 36-21 vote, Oregon lawmakers approved a bill that would allow individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to register for medical marijuana cards.

Currently, Oregon‚Äôs medical marijuana program only permits patients with certain debilitating medical conditions such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, and Alzheimer’s disease to register. Senate Bill 281 would add PTSD to this list.

According to the National Center for PTSD, approximately 5.2 million adults in the nation suffer from the anxiety disorder during a given year.

Rep. John Lively

Rep. John Lively (D-Springfield) revealed that he personally suffered from PTSD; he also has family and friends with the anxiety disorder. Rep. Lively‚Äôs fellow lawmaker Rep. Jim Weidner (R-Yamhill) stated that his son, who served in Iraq, had three friends who committed suicide.

The bill now heads to Gov. John Kitzhaber for approval.

MPP supports the state‚Äôs effort to help veterans and others trying to cope with PTSD and hopes Gov. Kitzhaber will make Senate Bill 281 a reality so that patients and their doctors have the opportunity to decide what treatment works for them.

On Wednesday, in an unofficial 80-59 vote, the New York Assembly passed legislation to reduce the penalty for publicly holding a small amount of marijuana. Only one Republican assembly member voted in favor of the bill: Steve Katz.

Assemblyman Steve Katz

Originally a staunch prohibitionist, Katz voted against allowing medical marijuana in 2012, but a brush with the law this past March seems to have brought about a change of heart.

The state police stopped Katz for speeding on the state thruway and subsequently found less than 25 grams of marijuana in his vehicle; he later failed a drug test. Fortunately for the assemblyman, in accordance with a favorable plea deal, his drug charges will be dismissed after he completes a mere 20 hours of community service (and keeps out of legal trouble for six months).

Katz declined to discuss his vote on Wednesday when approached in the Assembly chamber. However, he did issue a statement later in the day saying he hopes the bill leads to “a broader discussion of our state’s policies.”

The bill, if passed, would lower the penalty for the public possession of less than 15 grams of marijuana from a misdemeanor to a violation. It now faces an uncertain fate in the Senate.

Duval suffers from Type 1 diabetes. He has received both a kidney and a pancreas transplant, and he also lives with glaucoma and neuropathy. Consequently, he has a strict medical regime, which prior to his arrest included medical marijuana.

Despite the fact that Duval was a registered Michigan medical marijuana cardholder acting in compliance with state law, the Department of Justice (DOJ) brought the ailing farmer to court.

During the trial, Duval was not allowed to refer to his medical condition or the fact that he was acting in accordance with Michigan law, and in April 2012, he was found guilty of drug trafficking and given a 10-year sentence, which he will serve in a federal medical facility.

‚ÄúIn addition, I require treatment for coronary artery disease and diabetic retinopathy, which has forced me to undergo nearly two-dozen eye surgeries. These expensive optical procedures will likely need to be repeated several times during the decade that I am in BOP custody.‚ÄĚ

Once again, the DOJ‚Äôs refusal to acknowledge state laws has devastated a family and misused taxpayer dollars.

Yesterday, the Nevada Senate passed SB 374, which would allow and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries and growers in the state. Sponsored by Sen. Tick Segerblom, the bill received a 17-4 vote ‚ÄĒ well above the 2/3 votes needed to advance the bill to the Assembly. The legislature is scheduled to adjourn by early Tuesday morning, so time is running short.

Despite the constitutional rights established in Article IV, Section 38 of the Nevada Constitution, the legislature failed to provide seriously ill patients with a way to obtain medical marijuana ‚ÄĒ other than growing it themselves or finding a volunteer to do so. SB 374 aims to fix that shortfall by authorizing and regulating producers and providers.

Yesterday, Louisiana state Rep. Austin Badon‚Äôs HB 103, a bill that would reduce marijuana possession penalties for second and subsequent offenses, passed the House 54-38.

Unfortunately, time is running short on this year‚Äôs session. The Louisiana Legislature plans to adjourn June 6, so the Senate must act quickly to pass this sensible reform.

Rep. Austin Badon

Rep. Badon‚Äôs proposal has been weakened somewhat since the last vote, but it‚Äôs still a solid step in the right direction. As approved by the House yesterday, HB 103 would change the maximum sentence for a second possession offense to two years rather than five; a third offense would carry a five-year maximum sentence instead of 20; and the maximum sentence for a fourth offense would be set at eight years rather than life. In addition to lowering penalties and possible incarceration time for marijuana possession offenses, the proposal would also remove marijuana possession from the list of offenses that receive mandatory minimum sentences.

The New Hampshire Senate voted 18-6 last week to pass HB 573 and send it back to the House. Unfortunately, after hearing a number of objections from Gov. Maggie Hassan, the Senate had little choice but to amend the bill in ways that will be bad for patients. The Senate removed home cultivation from the bill, gutted the affirmative defense provisions that would have immediately given patients a defense they could raise in court, and adopted other changes that are detailed here (some of which would actually render the bill unworkable if not corrected).

Gov. Hassan

The bill will now return to the House, which we expect will disapprove of the Senate‚Äôs amendments. This means a ‚Äúcommittee of conference‚ÄĚ will be formed, in which a special committee of representatives and senators will work to agree on a final version of the bill that will move forward to the governor‚Äôs desk.

Governor John Hickenlooper signed thefirst billsin history to establish a regulated marijuana¬†market for adults and initiate the development of a regulatory framework for the cultivation, distribution, and processing of industrial hemp. The four measures were approved by the General Assembly earlier this month in accordance with Amendment¬†64, a ballot measure approved by 55% of Colorado voters last November.The Huffington Postreports:

“We applaud Gov. Hickenlooper for the initiative he has taken to ensure the world’s first legal marijuana market for adults will entail a robust and comprehensive regulatory system” said Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, who served as an official proponent of Amendment 64 and co-director of the campaign in Colorado…

Tvert added: “Colorado is demonstrating to the rest of the nation that it is possible to adopt a marijuana policy that reflects the public’s increasing support for making marijuana legal for adults.”

The Colorado Dept. of Revenue now has until July 1 to develop the specific regulations necessary for implementation, and voters will need to sign off on the proposed tax levels in the upcoming November election. If all continues to go smoothly, state-regulated marijuana retail stores will begin opening their doors to adults 21 and older in January 2014.

In a crucial win for patients in Michigan, the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the state‚Äôs zero tolerance driving under the influence law does not apply to medical marijuana patients when it is based on the mere presence of THC in a patient‚Äôs blood stream. Because THC can remain in a person‚Äôs system for days after it is consumed, the only other result would have meant that thousands of medical marijuana patients would be driving illegally simply for having used their medicine hours or days earlier.

Rodney Koon

Rodney Koon ‚ÄĒ a medical marijuana patient ‚ÄĒ¬†was stopped while driving and later accused of a DUI because he had THC in his system. He said he had not used his medicine in six hours. The state Supreme Court found that under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act ‚ÄĒ which was drafted by MPP ‚ÄĒ a registered patient cannot be penalized or arrested for the ‚Äúinternal possession‚ÄĚ of marijuana, so long as the patient complies with the requirements of the law. The initiative‚Äôs protections trump the state‚Äôs zero tolerance law for registered patients. The court noted the law does not allow patients to drive when they are under the influence of marijuana.

The 400-page study concluded that if the United States was sincere in its desire to reduce drug violence in the western hemisphere, then it would have to seriously rethink its stance on marijuana and look into more rational drug policies:

‚ÄúIt would be worthwhile to assess existing signals and trends that lean toward the decriminalization or legalization of the production, sale, and use of marijuana. Sooner or later decisions in this area will need to be taken.‚ÄĚ

The Mayor of San Diego is encouraging jurors of an upcoming medical marijuana case to reject the prosecution‚Äôs argument, which rests on the fact that marijuana is banned at the federal level.

The feds arrested Ronnie Chang of San Marcos in 2009 for operating a medical marijuana dispensary. He is just one of the many Californians who have faced legal consequences for their state-sanctioned efforts to bring relief to patients.

Mayor Bob Filner

Mayor Bob Filner is outraged at Chang‚Äôs situation. ‚ÄúSomeone should not be going through this stage of prosecution for trying to help people to have access to medical marijuana,‚ÄĚ he told reporters.

A champion for civil rights and a former Freedom Rider, Mayor Filner wants jurors to send a message to the federal government this fall, when Chang‚Äôs trial is expected to begin.

‚Äú[I]t‚Äôs time, like with Prohibition, to step back and say this was a stupid thing to do‚Ä¶and juries ought to take the lead in saying that to the federal government.‚ÄĚ

In a process known as ‚Äújury nullification,‚ÄĚ Mayor Filner hopes that those selected to listen to Chang‚Äôs case will place their consciences above the evidence and acquit him of any wrong doing.

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"Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use."
Former President Jimmy Carter, message to Congress, August 2, 1977